No changes to restaurant and bar opening hours
No changes to restaurant or bar opening times, public drinking or to the alcohol content level of beer are envisaged in the near future. According to information received by Yle, a new domestic security programme drawn up by a ministerial working party will not contain a tightening of the rules.
The government discusses the issue on Tuesday morning.
No changes either to opening hours or to the strength of medium grade beer are envisaged at this stage. Some of the more controversial measures made by a Interior Ministry working party have been dropped.
In the view of the party’s Chair, Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen, good groundwork has been carried out.
A new programme on domestic security includes proposals on tightening the rules of responsibility for arranging events via social media. A ban on the consumption of alcoholic beverages in childrens’ playgrounds is also on the cards.
Minister Räsänen notes the idea is not to impose a total ban on picnic drinking in parks.
”This is not on the agenda at the moment although various ideas were put forward within the working party,” Räsänen noted.
She noted that she supported a toughening of laws governing alcohol consumption in the future. A review of legislation next autumn would include discussion relating to opening hours and a possible dilution of the strength of medium-grade beer.
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